JP2009271220A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve display quality of an FS-drive type liquid crystal display device. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal display device includes: a multiplex-driven liquid crystal display element including a display segment electrode including a plurality of electrode lines, a background segment electrode disposed outside the display segment electrode in a display screen, and including one or a plurality of electrode lines, a segment substrate with the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode formed thereon, a display common electrode including a plurality of electrode lines, a background common electrode disposed outside the display common electrode in the display screen, and including one or a plurality of electrode lines, a common substrate with the display common electrode and the background segment electrode formed thereon, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the segment substrate and the common substrate, where a display pattern is defined by a portion where the display segment electrode and the display common electrode overlap each other, the background is defined by a portion located outside the display pattern; a backlight having a multi-color light source for making the light incident on the liquid crystal display element; and a controller for multiplex-driving the liquid crystal element. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD).

  In a liquid crystal display device capable of segment display or segment display + dot matrix display used in an in-vehicle information display device such as a car audio display unit, there is a method of using a color filter in order to display the color of the display unit.

  A so-called field sequential (FS) that performs color display by using a multi-color backlight composed of, for example, a multi-color light emitting diode (LED) light source capable of emitting red, green, and blue (RGB) light without synchronizing with a liquid crystal cell. There is a color liquid crystal display device by driving.

  In recent years, there has been a demand to display a display pattern in an arbitrary color and to arbitrarily display a display color in a non-display area (hereinafter referred to as a background area) other than the display pattern portion.

  In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-330612, the inventors stacked a liquid crystal cell (hereinafter referred to as a display cell) for displaying a display pattern and a liquid crystal cell (hereinafter referred to as a background cell) for displaying an inverted pattern (background pattern) of the display pattern. A liquid crystal display device is disclosed. In this publication, a backlight having a multi-color LED capable of emitting light of any color, for example, is disposed on the back surface of the laminated structure of the liquid crystal cell, and both the display pattern and the background pattern are driven by synchronously driving the liquid crystal cell and the backlight. A liquid crystal display device that can be set to an arbitrary display color has been proposed.

JP 2006-330612 A

  In the liquid crystal display device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-330612, since the display pattern of the background cell is an inverted pattern of the display pattern of the display cell, the alignment accuracy between the display cell and the background cell is very strict, If the is shifted in the plane, the intended display state cannot be realized. In addition, since it has a two-layer structure, when viewed obliquely with respect to the normal direction of the display surface of the liquid crystal display device, the vicinity of the edge of the display pattern appears twice, or a three-dimensional display state occurs. Display quality is reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device with improved display quality.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the liquid crystal cell includes an upper and lower polarizing plate sandwiching the liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal cell including a display segment electrode including a plurality of electrodes and an outer side of the display segment electrode within a display surface. A background segment electrode including one or a plurality of electrodes disposed on the display segment; a segment substrate on which the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode are formed; a display common electrode including a plurality of electrodes; A background common electrode including one or a plurality of electrodes arranged outside the display common electrode, a common substrate on which the display common electrode and the background segment electrode are formed, the segment substrate, and the common substrate A display pattern is defined by an overlapping portion of the display segment electrode and the display common electrode, and the outside of the display pattern defines a background. A multiplex-driven liquid crystal display element; a backlight having a multicolor light source that causes light to enter the liquid crystal display element; and a control device that multiplex-drives the liquid crystal display element. While sequentially scanning the display common electrode and the background common electrode, an ON voltage or an OFF voltage is applied to each of the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode to multiplex drive the liquid crystal display element, and the background When the display common electrode is selected, the region including the display common electrode is turned off by applying an off drive signal to the background segment electrode, and the background common electrode is The display segment electrode and the background segment when the background common electrode is selected. The display common electrode is controlled by applying an off drive signal to the poles to display off the entire background, or a region including the display common electrode in the background is included in the display common electrode Is selected by applying an ON drive signal to the background segment electrode, and when the background common electrode is selected, the region including the background common electrode in the background is selected. By applying an ON drive signal to the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode to turn it ON, the entire background is controlled to be turned ON and one frame of the drive voltage is divided into a plurality of subframes. Then, there is provided a field sequential drive liquid crystal display device for emitting different colors for each subframe from the backlight.

  The display quality of a liquid crystal display device that performs color breakless FS driving is improved.

  A schematic configuration of the liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The backlight 100 includes a light source capable of emitting multicolor light. Light emitted from the backlight 100 enters the liquid crystal display element 101. Information is displayed by controlling the light transmission state with the liquid crystal display element 101. The control device 102 includes a drive circuit and a control circuit that control operations of the backlight 100 and the liquid crystal display element 101.

  The liquid crystal display elements of the reference examples and examples that perform segment display by multiplex driving will be described. As a reference example, a liquid crystal display element having a two-layer liquid crystal cell will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display element according to a reference example. The liquid crystal display element includes an upper liquid crystal cell 30, a lower liquid crystal cell 40, viewing angle compensation plates 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d, and polarizing plates 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d.

The upper liquid crystal cell 30 includes an upper substrate 31a, a lower substrate 31b disposed substantially parallel to and opposed to the upper substrate 31a, and a liquid crystal layer 32 held between the upper substrate 31a and the lower substrate 31b. A transparent electrode 33a is formed on the liquid crystal layer 32 side of the upper substrate 31a. An alignment film 34a is formed so as to cover the transparent electrode 33a. The transparent electrode 33a is a common electrode, and the upper substrate 31a is also called a common substrate. A transparent electrode 33b is formed on the liquid crystal layer 32 side of the lower substrate 31b. An alignment film 34b is formed so as to cover the transparent electrode 33b. The transparent electrode 33a is a segment electrode, and the lower substrate 31b is also called a segment substrate. Note that the positions of the common substrate 31a and the segment substrate 31b may be interchanged. If necessary, an insulating film made of, for example, SiO ₂ may be formed between the electrode and the alignment film.

  A spacer 35 is sandwiched between the upper and lower glass substrates 31a and 31b to determine the liquid crystal layer thickness. The spacer 35 has, for example, a spherical shape, a rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, or the like. The seal part 36 seals the liquid crystal layer 32. A conductive material 37 is provided in a part of the seal portion 36 or in another portion to achieve electrical conduction from the lower glass substrate 31b side to the common electrode 33a of the upper glass substrate 31a.

  The lower liquid crystal cell 40 displays a display pattern of the liquid crystal display element. The liquid crystal cell 40 is also called a display cell. Since the upper liquid crystal cell 30 displays the background pattern of the liquid crystal display element, the liquid crystal cell 30 is also referred to as a background cell. The position of the display cell and the background cell may be upside down.

The lower liquid crystal cell 40 includes an upper substrate 41a, a lower substrate 41b disposed substantially parallel to and opposed to the upper substrate 41a, and a liquid crystal layer 42 held between the upper substrate 41a and the lower substrate 41b. A transparent electrode 43a is formed on the liquid crystal layer 42 side of the upper substrate 41a. An alignment film 44a is formed so as to cover the transparent electrode 43a. The transparent electrode 43a is a common electrode, and the upper substrate 41a is also called a common substrate. A transparent electrode 43b is formed on the liquid crystal layer 42 side of the lower substrate 41b. An alignment film 44b is formed so as to cover the transparent electrode 43b. The transparent electrode 43a is a segment electrode, and the lower substrate 41b is also called a segment substrate. Note that the positions of the common substrate 41a and the segment substrate 41b may be interchanged. If necessary, an insulating film made of, for example, SiO ₂ may be formed between the electrode and the alignment film.

  A spacer 45 is sandwiched between the upper and lower glass substrates 41a and 41b to determine the liquid crystal layer thickness. The spacer 45 has, for example, a spherical shape, a rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, or the like. The seal part 46 seals the liquid crystal layer 42. A conductive material 47 is provided in a part of the seal portion 46 or in another portion to electrically connect the common electrode 43a of the upper glass substrate 41a from the lower glass substrate 41b side.

  The polarization axes of the lower polarizing plate 51b of the upper cell 30 and the upper polarizing plate 51c of the lower cell 40 are preferably substantially parallel. When set in parallel, one of the polarizing plates may be omitted.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the display pattern of the liquid crystal display element. Examples of this display pattern are common to the reference example and the examples described later. A display pattern 120 including a character display portion 122 “TEMP” treated as one segment and a two-digit seven-segment display portion 121 inside an effective display area 124 exposed to the outside as a display portion of the liquid crystal display element. Is defined. The display pattern 120 is indicated by diagonal lines. The display pattern 120 is a segment display used for a display device that displays the temperature in the automobile, for example. A region outside the display pattern 120 in the effective display area 124 is a background portion 123.

  FIG. 4 is a segment electrode pattern of a reference example displaying the display pattern shown in FIG. Ten segment electrodes are formed so as to correspond to the display portions 121 and 122 described above.

  Outside the effective display area 124, segment electrode terminals S1 to S10 connected to each of the ten segment electrodes are arranged. The segment electrode is connected to an external circuit via the segment electrode terminals S1 to S10. The reference numerals of the segment electrodes are the same as the reference numerals of the connected segment electrode terminals. The number of segment electrode terminals is ten, which is not enough for four digits of seven segments. However, the display of seven segments is performed in combination with a common electrode.

  Along with the segment electrode terminals S1 to S10, common electrode terminals C1 and C2 for connecting the common electrodes are also arranged on the segment substrate side. The common electrode terminals C1 and C2 are connected to the common electrode formed on the common substrate side via the transfer unit 37. The reference sign of the common electrode is the same as the reference sign of the connected common electrode terminal.

  FIG. 5 is a common electrode pattern of a reference example that realizes the display pattern shown in FIG. Two common electrodes C1 and C2 are formed so as to correspond to the display sections 21 and 22, and are connected to the common electrode terminals C1 and C2 on the segment substrate side via the transfer terminals T1 and T2, respectively. Is done. The two common electrodes C1 and C2 are sequentially scanned to display. The liquid crystal display element of the reference example is assumed to be driven by multiplex driving with ½ duty and ½ bias.

  Next, a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Similar to the reference example, the display pattern of the first embodiment has the configuration shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment. Differences from the reference example will be described.

  A segment electrode 4 is formed on the segment substrate 3, and an electrode 4 A is formed outside the segment electrode 4. Since the segment electrode 4 is used for displaying a display pattern, the segment electrode 4 is referred to as a display segment electrode 4. Since the electrode 4A is arranged so as to be a background, it is referred to as a background segment electrode 4A.

  A common electrode 8 is formed on the liquid crystal layer 6 side of the common substrate 8, and an electrode 8 </ b> A is formed outside the common electrode 8. Since the common electrode 8 is used for displaying a display pattern, the common electrode 8 is referred to as a display common electrode 8. Since the electrode 8A is disposed so as to serve as a background, it is referred to as a background common electrode 8A.

  Hereinafter, the display segment electrode 4 and the background segment electrode 4A may be combined (or simply referred to as a segment electrode when the display segment electrode 4 and the background segment electrode 4A are not distinguished). In addition, the display common electrode 8 and the background common electrode 8A may be combined (or may be simply referred to as a common electrode when the display common electrode 8 and the background common electrode 8A are not distinguished).

  When the display segment electrode 4 and the display common electrode 8 are described without being distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as display electrodes. When the background segment electrode 4A and the background common electrode 8A are described without being distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as the background electrodes. Sometimes called.

  Similarly to the display segment electrode 4 and the display common electrode 8, a multiplex drive signal is applied to the background segment electrode 4A and the background common electrode 8A.

  FIG. 7 shows a segment electrode pattern of the first embodiment for displaying the display pattern shown in FIG. Similar to the reference example, the display segment electrode 4 including ten segment electrodes S1 to S10 is arranged.

  One background segment electrode 4A is arranged so as to fill an area in the effective display area 124 where the display segment electrode 4 is not arranged. The background segment electrode 4A is connected to the segment electrode terminal B1. In addition to the common electrode terminals C1 and C2, a common electrode terminal C3 is added. The background segment electrode 4A is indicated by a diagonal line at the upper right.

  It is necessary to provide a gap between the display segment electrode 4 and the background segment electrode 4A so that they are not short-circuited. The gap distance is preferably 50 μm or less, and more preferably 30 μm or less. However, in order to prevent a short circuit, the distance between the electrodes is preferably 10 μm or more.

  As in the area A indicated by the box at the lower left corner of the effective display area 124, the distance between the lead line portions is also made as narrow as possible. The distance between the drawing line portions is also preferably 50 μm or less, and more preferably 30 μm or less. However, in order to prevent a short circuit, the distance between the electrodes is preferably 10 μm or more.

  The inside of the closed loop-shaped part of the letter “P” (floating island), as in the area B shown in the upper part near the center of the effective display area 124, is cut into the background segment electrode 4A by cutting the closed loop. Connected. The cut width (the width of the background segment electrode 4A at the cut portion) is preferably at least twice the minimum line width, more preferably at least three times.

  Thus, on the segment substrate of the first embodiment, the transparent electrodes are formed on almost the entire surface of the effective display area except for the gaps between the electrodes (between the lines). The background segment electrode is arranged in a shape in contact with the peripheral edge of the effective display area.

  In this embodiment, the background segment electrodes are wired to one, but a plurality of background segment electrodes may be provided if necessary. However, the smaller the number of background segment electrodes, the smaller the number of terminals from which they can be extracted, so the size of the drive circuit can be reduced. Note that at least one background segment electrode is arranged in a shape in contact with the periphery of the effective display area.

  FIG. 8 shows a common electrode pattern of the first embodiment for displaying the display pattern shown in FIG. Similar to the reference example, a display common electrode 8 including two common electrodes C1 and C2 is disposed.

  One background common electrode 8 </ b> A is disposed outside the display common electrode 8 in the effective display area 124. The background common electrode 8A is connected to the common electrode terminal C3 on the segment substrate side via the transfer terminal T3. The common electrode 8A may be referred to as a common electrode C3 together with the common electrode terminal C3. The background common electrode 8A is indicated by a left-upward oblique line.

  Three common electrodes C1 to C3 are arranged by combining the display common electrode 8 and the background common electrode 8A, and multiplex driving with 1/3 duty and 1/3 bias is assumed.

  It is necessary to provide a gap between the display common electrode 8 and the background common electrode 8A so that they are not short-circuited. The gap distance is preferably 50 μm or less, and more preferably 30 μm or less. However, the distance between the electrodes is preferably 10 μm or more.

  As described above, on the common substrate, the transparent electrode is formed on almost the entire surface of the effective display area except for the gap between the electrodes. The background common electrode is arranged in a shape in contact with the circumference of the effective display area. From the viewpoint of multiplex driving, it is preferable that the number of background common electrodes be reduced so as to suppress an increase in the number of duties.

  Note that a drive circuit for driving a liquid crystal display element has a limited output current capacity for both the segment output and the common output, and thus there are many cases where the display area that can be driven is limited. When a wide display area that requires an output current exceeding the capability is driven, there is a concern that the applied voltage drops during on-display, resulting in a reduction in display brightness and further display unevenness.

  The background can be a large area. If the area becomes too large from the viewpoint of applied voltage when only one background segment electrode or background common electrode is provided, it may be effective to divide the electrodes into a plurality of electrodes to reduce the area of each electrode.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which the background common electrode is divided into two background common electrodes C3a and C3b. Transfer terminals T3 and T4 are prepared for the background common electrodes C3a and C3b, respectively. When a plurality of background common electrodes are provided, at least one background common electrode is arranged in a shape in contact with the periphery of the effective display area. Hereinafter, a case where a single background common electrode is used will be described as an example.

  The overlapping structure of the segment electrode and the common electrode will be described, and a driving method for controlling on / off of the display pattern and the background will be described.

  10 is an enlarged view of area A shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of area B shown in FIG. These two figures show a state in which the segment electrode and the common electrode overlap each other.

  A region R11 where the display segment electrode and the display common electrode overlap is a display pattern, and the rest is the background. As described above, portions other than the display pattern portion of the display segment electrode and the display common electrode are the respective lead line portions.

  The background includes a region R12 in which the lead line portion of the display segment electrode overlaps with the background common electrode, a region R21 in which the lead line portion of the background segment electrode and the display common electrode overlaps, and the background segment electrode. And the region R22 where the background common electrode overlaps. In the regions R12 and R21, the lead line portion of the display electrode (display segment electrode, display common electrode) faces the background electrode (background common electrode, background segment electrode) on the opposite side.

  10 and 11, a region R11 where the display segment electrode and the display common electrode overlap and a region R12 where the display segment electrode and the background common electrode overlap are shown by diagonal lines in the left upward direction. A region R21 where the background segment electrode and the display common electrode overlap and a region R22 where the background segment electrode and the background common electrode overlap are shown by cross hatching.

  As described above, the inside 125 of the closed loop portion of the letter “P” shown in FIG. 11 is connected to the background segment electrode by making a cut in the closed loop.

  FIG. 12 shows the overlap of the segment electrode and the common electrode in the entire effective display area 124. With reference to FIG. 12, a method for controlling on / off of the display pattern and the background by multiplex drive will be described.

  The display pattern is defined by overlapping portions of the display segment electrodes S1 to S10 (display segment electrode 4) and the display common electrodes C1 and C2 (display common electrode 8). When the on / off of the display pattern is controlled, an on / off drive signal is applied to each of the display segment electrodes S1 to S10 during a period in which the display common electrode C1 or C2 is selected.

  The background is not between the lines, the background segment electrode 4A overlaps with the lead line portion of the display common electrode 8 (region R21), the lead line portion of the display segment electrode 4 overlaps with the background common electrode 8A (region R12), and The background segment electrode 4A and the background common electrode 8A are defined by the overlap (region R22). Some of the regions R11 to R22 are illustrated in the figure.

  First, control for turning off the entire background will be described. An off drive signal is applied to the background segment electrode 4A during a period in which the common electrodes C1 to C3 are selected. Thereby, the overlap (region R21) between the background segment electrode 4A and the lead-out line portion of the display common electrode 8 is kept off during the period in which the display common electrodes C1 and C2 are selected.

  Further, an off drive signal is applied to all the display segment electrodes S1 to S10 during a period in which the background common electrode C3 is selected. Thereby, the overlap (region R12) of the lead line portion of the display segment electrode 4 and the background common electrode 8A and the overlap (region R22) of the background segment electrode 4A and the background common electrode 8A are also turned off.

  That is, the area including the display common electrode in the background is turned off by applying an OFF drive signal to the background segment electrode when the display common electrode is selected, and the area including the background common electrode in the background. When the background common electrode is selected, an OFF drive signal is applied to the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode to display OFF, thereby turning off the entire background.

  The control to turn on the entire background is the reverse. That is, an ON drive signal is applied to the background segment electrode 4A during the period in which the common electrodes C1 to C3 are selected. Thereby, the overlap (region R21) between the background segment electrode 4A and the lead-out line portion of the display common electrode 8 is kept on during the period in which the display common electrodes C1 and C2 are selected.

  Further, during a period in which the background common electrode C3 is selected, an ON drive signal is applied to all the display segment electrodes S1 to S10. Thereby, the overlap (region R12) between the lead line portion of the display segment electrode 4 and the background common electrode 8A and the overlap (region R22) between the background segment electrode 4A and the background common electrode 8A are also turned on.

  That is, the area including the display common electrode in the background is turned on by applying an ON drive signal to the background segment electrode when the display common electrode is selected, and the area including the background common electrode in the background. When the background common electrode is selected, an on drive signal is applied to the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode to turn on the display, thereby turning on the entire background.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, both the display pattern and the background can be turned on / off by multiplex driving in which the display common electrode and the background common electrode are sequentially selected.

  For example, in a normally black liquid crystal display element, when the display pattern is off (dark display), that is, when an off voltage is applied, a multiplex drive off voltage is applied to the background to display the display pattern. By aligning the transmissivity of the background, it is possible to prevent crosstalk that looks different between a display pattern with an off voltage applied and a background with no voltage applied.

  In addition, for example, a normally black liquid crystal display element can be displayed as a normally white liquid crystal display element by turning on the background (bright display).

  Next, the liquid crystal display element of the second embodiment will be described. In a vertical alignment (VA) mode liquid crystal display element that performs normally black display, light leakage tends to occur in the vicinity of the electrode edge due to an oblique electric field accompanying off-voltage application even during dark display. The technique of the second embodiment is effective in suppressing light leakage near such an electrode edge.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment will be described below. A black mask 17 is formed on the surface of the segment substrate 3 so as to cover the gap between the display segment electrode 4 and the background segment electrode 4A. On the common substrate 8, a black mask 18 is formed so as to cover the gap between the display common electrode 8 and the background common electrode 8A.

  The black mask 17 is formed in a band shape so as to cover the gap between the display segment electrode 4 and the background segment electrode 4A within the display surface, and overlaps to some extent from the edge of the display segment electrode 4, and the background segment It is formed to overlap to some extent from the edge of the electrode 4A.

  The black mask 18 is formed in a band shape so as to cover the gap between the display common electrode 8 and the background common electrode 8A within the display surface, and overlaps to some extent from the edge of the display common electrode 8 to the background common electrode. It is formed so as to overlap to some extent from the edge of the electrode 8A.

  By disposing the black mask so as to overlap from the edge of the electrode to the inside, light leakage near the electrode edge is favorably suppressed. The distance from the edge of the electrode to the inside of the electrode is preferably 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less.

  The black masks 17 and 18 are configured using, for example, a resin in which particles such as pigment, carbon, or dye are dispersed, a metal such as chromium, or the like. In the case where a conductive material such as a metal is used for the black mask, an insulating layer is disposed between the transparent electrode and the transparent electrode. Note that the black mask can be disposed between the transparent electrode and the alignment film, or can be disposed between the insulating film and the alignment film.

  Next, the liquid crystal display elements of the third and fourth embodiments will be described. In the first embodiment, a new electrode is added to the background so that the entire surface including the display pattern and the background can be turned on (bright display) even in a normally black liquid crystal display element.

  However, since no electrode is arranged between the lines between the drawing line portions or between the background electrode and the display electrode, the entire surface remains dark even when turned on. For example, when the entire surface is on, such a dark state between the lines may cause an uncomfortable display. In particular, when the distance between the lines is relatively large (for example, about 20 μm to 50 μm) and the lines are arranged in an irregular pattern, such a sense of incongruity is likely to occur.

  In the third embodiment, by distributing openings on both the segment electrode and the common electrode, a portion that remains in the dark state at the time of on-state is also distributed in a region other than between the lines, thereby reducing discomfort in display. . However, when an opening is formed on the electrode, the edge of the opening becomes a new electrode edge. When off (dark display), it is desired to suppress light leakage near the edge of the opening due to such an electrode edge.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the openings of the liquid crystal display element of the third embodiment. A plurality of openings OPs (referred to as segment openings OPs) are formed on the segment electrode, and an opening OPc (referred to as a common opening OPc) is formed on the common electrode at a position facing each segment opening OPs. Is formed. That is, one corresponding common opening OPc is arranged for each segment opening OPs. The segment openings OPs and the common openings OPc are respectively arranged in a plurality of rows. Both openings OPs and OPc have a similar shape (including congruence).

  The mutually corresponding segment opening OPs and common opening OPc have the same center of gravity GP, the size of the segment opening OPs is equal to or smaller than the common opening OPc, and the segment opening OPs matches the common opening OPc. It is included in the common opening OPc. Ideally, it is most preferable to suppress the oblique electric field if the edge of the segment opening OPs and the edge of the common opening OPc coincide with each other in the display surface.

  FIG. 14 shows two rows of segment openings OPs and common openings OPc extending in the left-right direction. The segment opening OPs and the common opening OPc have a rectangular shape (including a square), and the sides are arranged in parallel. The rectangular side of the opening is parallel to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.

  The segment openings OPs have Ws in the column direction (horizontal side length) and Hs in width (vertical side length), and are regularly arranged with a gap Gs in the column direction. The common openings OPc have a length in the column direction (horizontal side length) of Wc and a width (length of vertical side) of Hc, and are regularly arranged with a gap Gc in the column direction. The rows of the common openings OPc are arranged with an interval P therebetween. The centers of gravity GP of the openings in the opening rows arranged in the vertical direction are aligned in the horizontal direction.

  The length Ws and width Hs of the segment openings OPs in the column direction and the interval Gs in the column direction, and the length Wc and width Hc of the common openings OPc in the column direction, and the interval Gc in the column direction satisfy the following relationship. .

  The length Ws in the column direction of the segment openings OPs is preferably longer than 5 μm, and 5 μm <Ws ≦ Wc. The width Hs of the segment opening OPs is preferably longer than 5 μm, and 5 μm <Hs ≦ Hc. Furthermore, the column direction interval Gc of the common openings OPc is preferably longer than 5 μm, and 5 μm <Gc ≦ Gs.

  In addition, the width Hc of the common opening OPc is preferably equal to or greater than the interval Gc in the column direction, and Hc ≧ Gc, and the width Hs of the segment opening OPs is preferably equal to or greater than the interval Gs in the column direction. Gs.

  The width Hc of the common opening OPc is preferably substantially equal to the interval between the segment electrode and the common electrode, and the length Wc in the column direction of the common opening OPc is set between the lead line portion and the background electrode of the segment electrode and the common electrode. It is preferable to match the minimum line width. It is effective that the interval P between the columns of the common openings OPc is equal to or greater than the interval Gc in the column direction of the common openings OPc.

  The opening may be provided only in the background or may be provided in the display pattern. In order to produce an electrode pattern having an opening, for example, a photomask may be produced as follows. In the production of a positive photomask, mask data obtained by ANDing the mask data of the original segment and common electrode pattern and the mask data in which only the openings are arranged is created, and the photo data is created based on the mask data. It is effective to make a mask pattern having an opening in the light shielding portion by manufacturing a mask. Note that if an opening is provided in a portion where the line width of the lead-out line portion or the background electrode is narrow, there is a possibility of disconnection, and therefore consideration must be given to avoid disconnection. It is preferable not to provide openings in electrode portions having a line width of 100 μm or less, particularly electrode portions having a line width of 50 μm or less.

  When the interval between the segment electrode and the common electrode is, for example, 30 μm, for example, the length Wc in the column direction of the common opening OPc is 30 μm, the length Ws in the column direction of the segment opening OPs is 20 μm, and the width Hc of the common opening OPc is The segment opening OPs has a width Hs of 20 μm, the common opening OPc has a column direction spacing Gc of 10 μm, the segment opening OPs has a column direction spacing Gs of 20 μm, and the common opening OPc has a column spacing P of 100 μm.

  The conditions on the segment side and the common side may be interchanged. For example, the opening on the common electrode side may be made smaller than the opening on the segment electrode side.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the centers of gravity GP of the openings in the opening rows arranged in the up-down direction may not be aligned in the left-right direction. For example, the gravity centers GP may be arranged in a checkered pattern by shifting the center of gravity of the opening rows arranged in the vertical direction by a half pitch in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 16, each opening may be inclined by a predetermined angle θ from the left-right direction (or the up-down direction) in the display surface. The interval between the centers of gravity of the openings adjacent to each other in the row is Lp, and the interval between the centers of gravity of the openings between adjacent rows is Vp.

  The opening shape is not limited to a rectangle. For example, a circular shape, an oval shape, a cross shape, or the like may be used. It is effective if each opening has a similar shape to the corresponding opening on the opposite side, both openings have a common center of gravity, and both openings have the same size or one includes the other. When one of the sizes includes the other, even if the center of gravity slightly deviates, the positional relationship in which one includes the other is easily maintained. However, it is preferable that the sizes of both openings be close to each other for suppressing the oblique electric field, and it is preferable that one of the openings has a size (area) of about 80% to 120% with respect to the other.

  A liquid crystal display element according to a fourth embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, an opening was formed on the electrode. In the fourth embodiment, a black mask as introduced in the second embodiment is formed so as to cover the opening, thereby further suppressing light leakage near the opening.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the segment opening OPs, the common opening OPc, and the black mask BM. A black mask BM is formed on the common substrate Sc side. A black mask may be formed on the segment substrate Ss side or on both substrate sides.

  In this example, the common opening OPc is larger than the segment opening OPs. In the display surface, the black mask BM is formed so as to cover the relatively large common opening OPc and to some extent overlap from the edge of the common opening OPc to the inside of the common electrode Ec. Thereby, light shielding is performed satisfactorily. The overlap distance is preferably 10 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or less.

  Liquid crystal display elements according to fifth and sixth embodiments will be described. In the first to fourth embodiments, the display electrode and the background electrode are formed on the same surface of the segment substrate or the common substrate. Therefore, in order to prevent a short circuit between the display electrode and the background electrode, a line without an electrode remains between the display electrode and the background electrode. A structure capable of eliminating such a gap between lines will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the fifth embodiment. The background segment electrode 4 </ b> C is formed in a different layer from the display segment electrode 4. A background segment electrode 4 </ b> C is formed on the segment substrate 3, an insulating film 19 is formed thereon, and the display segment electrode 4 is formed on the insulating film 19.

  FIG. 19 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, in addition to the segment substrate side, the background electrode is formed in a layer different from the display electrode on the common substrate side. A background common electrode 8C is formed under the common substrate 8, an insulating film 19a is formed thereunder, and a display common electrode 8 is formed under the insulating film 19a.

  Thus, by forming the background electrode and the display electrode in different layers, it is not necessary to provide a gap between both electrodes in the display surface (the ends of the background electrode and the display electrode may be aligned). If there is no space between the lines, it is possible to eliminate the situation in which the space between the lines becomes dark when the background is on.

  As modes of the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal cell used in the examples, three types of a twisted nematic (TN) mode, a vertical alignment (VA) mode, and a two-layer TN mode will be described.

  A normally white (NW) twisted nematic (TN) mode liquid crystal display element will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view of an NWTN mode liquid crystal display element. The illustrated liquid crystal display element includes a liquid crystal cell 211 that is sandwiched between polarizing plates 221 and 222 in a crossed Nicol arrangement and includes upper and lower glass substrates 212 and 213 and a liquid crystal layer 214 formed therebetween. The As the polarizing plates 221, 222, SKN18243T manufactured by POLATECHNO is used.

  Each substrate is rubbed so that the liquid crystal layer 214 is twisted 90 ° between the upper and lower glass substrates 212 and 213. The liquid crystal layer 214 is filled with a liquid crystal material of Δε> 0 to which a left-handed chiral material is added. The thickness (cell thickness) of the liquid crystal layer 214 is set to about 2 μm. The ratio d / p of the liquid crystal cell thickness d to the twist pitch p of the liquid crystal material is set to about 0.35. The retardation Δnd, which is the product of the birefringence Δn of the liquid crystal material and the cell thickness d, is set to about 446 nm. The central molecular orientation of the liquid crystal layer is adjusted so that the rubbing direction is 6 o'clock in the plane when the liquid crystal display element is observed from the normal direction.

  FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view of a vertical alignment mode (VA) liquid crystal display element. In the liquid crystal cell 251 of the VA mode liquid crystal display element, a transparent electrode having a desired pattern is disposed on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower glass substrates 252 and 253 on the liquid crystal layer side, and a vertical alignment film is formed on the inner surfaces. . The vertical alignment film is rubbed so as to have anti-parallel alignment. The liquid crystal layer is filled with a liquid crystal material of Δε <0, the layer thickness is set to about 2 μm, the retardation Δnd is set to about 300 nm, and the orientation direction of the center molecule of the liquid crystal layer is set to 12:00.

  Crossed Nicols polarizing plates 261 and 262 are disposed above and below the liquid crystal cell 251, and the absorption axis of the upper polarizing plate 261 is set to a position rotated 45 ° counterclockwise from the 12 o'clock direction. An optical film having negative biaxial optical anisotropy is bonded between the liquid crystal cell 251 and the upper and lower polarizing plates 261 and 262 as viewing angle compensation plates 271 and 272. In the prototyped liquid crystal display element, an iodine-based polarizing plate and a negative biaxial optically anisotropic film manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical were used. The in-plane slow axes (arrows) of the optical films 271 and 272 are arranged substantially parallel to the polarizing plate absorption axis, the in-plane retardation is about 45 nm, and the retardation in the film thickness direction is about 120 nm. The viewing angle compensation plate may be disposed only on either the upper surface or the lower surface of the liquid crystal cell 51. The appropriate values of the optical film parameters will be described. The thickness direction retardation of the film (the total when two or more sheets are used) is approximately 0.5 times to approximately 1.0 times the Δnd of the liquid crystal cell. The phase difference is preferably set to about 30 nm to about 65 nm.

  FIG. 22 shows a schematic perspective view of a two-layer TN mode liquid crystal display element. In a structure in which two liquid crystal cells 281 and 282 are stacked between polarizing plates 291 and 292 in a crossed Nicol arrangement, the lower cell 282 is operated as a “driving cell” and the upper cell 281 is operated as a “compensation cell”.

  The structure of the “driving cell” 282 is the same as the liquid crystal cell of the NWTN mode liquid crystal display element shown in FIG. A driving voltage is applied to the driving cell from the outside to perform bright and dark display on the display unit.

  On the other hand, in the “compensation cell” 281, a rubbing process is performed so that the liquid crystal layer between the two glass substrates has a right twist of 90 °. Also, a chiral agent that induces right twist in the liquid crystal layer is added. The orientation direction of the center molecule of the liquid crystal layer is the 3 o'clock direction. Further, the display pattern electrode is not formed on the glass substrate. With this compensation cell, the retardation becomes almost zero during frontal observation, and a normally black mode is set. Other conditions are the same as those of the drive cell 282. Note that the compensation cell 281 can be replaced with an optical film having similar optical characteristics, such as a Twistar film made by Polatechno.

  The VA mode and two-layer TN mode liquid crystal display elements are normally black liquid crystal display elements. When a normally black display portion is used, it is easy to manufacture a color breakless FS drive liquid crystal display device having a high contrast with a structure that does not use a black mask. In particular, since the VA mode is excellent in viewing angle characteristics, it is suitable for improving display quality.

  The duty ratio dependency of the electro-optic response at room temperature was measured with an LCD 5200 manufactured by Otsuka Electronics for the three types of liquid crystal display elements thus manufactured. In the case of static drive, the drive voltage is a rectangular wave, and in the case of multiplex drive, a 500 Hz bias drive with 1/2 bias at 1/2 duty and 1/3 bias at 1/3 and 1/4 duty. The magnitude Vd of the driving voltage was adjusted so as to obtain a display state regarded as the best visually. The off voltage of static drive is 0V. Note that when the transmittance in the steady state when the Off voltage is applied is 0% and the transmittance in the steady state when the On voltage is applied is 100%, the response time from the dark display to the bright display is from 0%. The time required for the change from 90% to 90% is defined, and the response time from the bright display to the dark display is defined as the time required for the transmittance to change from 100% to 10%.

  FIG. 23 shows a response time table for each liquid crystal display element. The unit of response time is ms. As shown in the table, in particular, in the two-layer TN type and VA type liquid crystal display elements, the response time from the dark display to the bright display tends to increase as the duty increases. The response time from the bright display to the dark display tends to become longer as Vd increases. When the response time becomes long, in other words, when the response speed becomes slow, in order to ensure the color purity of the liquid crystal display device, it is necessary to take a long blank time within one subframe. However, if the blank time is long, there is a problem that the display brightness of the liquid crystal display device is lowered.

  FIG. 24 shows a table of times (referred to as 0% -10% time) for the transmittance of each liquid crystal display element to change from 0% to 10%.

  In the NWTN type, the 0% -10% time tended to gradually shorten as the duty increased. In the two-layer TN type, there was a tendency that 0% -10% time was increased as the duty increased. In the VA type, the dependency due to the duty is low, but there is a tendency that 0% -10% time is longer in the 1/2 duty to 1/4 duty driving than in the static driving.

When the data in FIGS. 23 and 24 are collected, the following can be understood.

1) Since NWTN has the fastest response speed, the backlight lighting time in one subframe can be extended.
2) The response delay from dark display to bright display is overwhelmingly longer in the normally black display element.
3) When the number of scanning lines increases, that is, when the duty increases, the response speed decreases, and in the case of a normally black element, the response delay time tends to increase.
4) A normally black type can be realized in a high-contrast state, and a VA liquid crystal display element is optimal in view of viewing angle characteristics.

Next, in the display pattern shown in FIG. 3, according to the embodiment, segment 1 (121) is displayed in red, segment 2 (122) is displayed in cyan, and background portion segment 3 (123) is displayed in white. A method will be described.

  First, the case of the mixed color display FS drive in which the multi-color backlight is intermittently lit in RGB is assumed. Here, an example using the NWTN type will be described.

  FIG. 25 is a waveform diagram showing driving waveforms applied to the commons 1 to 3, the segments 1 and 2, and the background electrode in one frame, and the emission colors and lighting timings of the backlight areas A and B. As the FS driving method, a color breakless driving method in which bright display is performed only in one subframe of one frame for one display color is used. The number of subframes M was set to 3. When one frame was set to approximately 16.7 ms, each subframe was divided into equal time periods so that one subframe was set to approximately 5.57 ms. The time for scanning one scanning line was set to about 0.93 ms. The voltage applied to the liquid crystal display element was a multiplex drive voltage of 1/3 Duty, 1/3 Bias, and frame frequency f = 180 Hz.

  The common selection voltage was ± V, and the On voltage of the segment electrode was ± Vs. The Off voltage is 0V. Since the NWTN liquid crystal display element is used, dark display is obtained when the segment electrode is ± Vs, and bright display is obtained when the segment electrode is 0V.

  Further description of driving within one subframe will be continued. Within one subframe, a “scanning waiting time” for waiting for scanning of two common electrodes in order to maintain uniform display is provided for approximately 1.86 ms. Thereafter, it is necessary to provide a blank time for waiting for the optical response of the liquid crystal display element. Here, it is approximately 2.28 ms as shown in FIG. If this time is set to the blank time at the minimum, it is possible to suppress deterioration in display quality due to color mixture between subframes. The remaining time after that is the time to turn on the multi-color backlight, which is approximately 1.43 ms. In backlight primary color light emission such as red, it is only necessary to make a bright display in only one subframe. When a backlight such as cyan or white emits mixed color light emission, it is necessary to make light display in a plurality of subframes. In addition, a background part can be colored or black display can be performed by applying an On voltage to a background part among segment electrodes.

  Next, a normally black VA element is used as the liquid crystal display element, and the driving operation of the liquid crystal display element and the backlight lighting operation are synchronized.

  FIG. 26 shows scanning line selection voltage waveforms applied to the three common electrodes of the liquid crystal display element, segment waveforms applied to the segment electrodes 1 and 2 and the segment electrode in the background portion, lighting timing and lighting color of the multi-color backlight. A waveform diagram is shown. One frame was divided into three subframes at an equal interval of about 16.7 ms. One subframe time is approximately 5.57 ms.

  The frequency of the multiplex waveform was approximately 180 Hz, and the time for scanning one scanning line was approximately 0.93 ms. Since a normally black liquid crystal display element is used, bright display is obtained when the segment electrode is ± Vs, and dark display is obtained when the segment electrode is 0V. The scanning waiting time is 1.86 ms. Thereafter, it is necessary to provide a blank time in order to wait for the optical response of the liquid crystal display element. Here, the response time when the display changes from bright to dark in the 1/3 duty drive of the VA element shown in FIG. 23 is approximately 3.33 ms. If this time is set to the blank time at the minimum, it is possible to suppress deterioration in display quality due to color mixture between subframes. The remaining time after that is the time to turn on the multi-color backlight, which is approximately 0.38 ms.

  When the two-layer TN type is used as the liquid crystal display element, the scanning waiting time is approximately 1.86 ms, the blank time is approximately 2.5 ms, and the backlight lighting time is approximately 1.11 ms.

  As described above, when two normally black liquid crystal display elements are used as the liquid crystal display element, the response speed is slower than the normally white type, resulting in a shorter backlight lighting time and lower display brightness. Cause. The inventors have also invented a method for extending the backlight lighting time.

  FIG. 27 shows a waveform diagram of drive waveforms. FIG. 27 shows the case of a VA liquid crystal display element. When the multiplex drive frequency is 180 Hz, the scanning waiting time is 1.86 ms, and the blank time is 3.33 ms. If the backlight lighting time is to be suppressed within one subframe, the backlight lighting time is approximately 0.38. However, by continuing the backlight lighting during the response delay time of the next subframe, It becomes possible to lengthen the lighting time. The amount of time that the backlight is lit is defined as the previous subframe backlight lighting duration D.

  It is preferable to apply the response delay time shown in FIG. 24 as the previous subframe backlight lighting duration D. In the case of a VA type element, it is about 2.27 ms. Accordingly, one backlight lighting time is 0.38 ms + 2.27 ms, which is 2.65 ms, and it is possible to secure about seven times the lighting time as compared with the case where the backlight lighting time is within one subframe. Similarly, in the case of the two-layer TN type, the backlight lighting time can be extended.

  FIG. 28 shows a waveform diagram of a multiplex drive waveform in which measures against so-called color breaks are taken. As a countermeasure against color breaks, a driving method in which only one sub-frame that performs bright display in each pattern is applied is applied so as not to perform color mixing over time. Note that the backlight emits primary colors or mixed colors of a plurality of light sources. As shown in the figure, even in the case of driving with color break countermeasures, the lighting time of the backlight can be lengthened by providing the previous subframe lighting duration time D as described above.

  When the appearance was observed by applying the drive waveforms shown in FIGS. 25 to 28 to any one of the three types of liquid crystal display elements NWTN, VA, and 2-layer TN, good display without parallax was observed. . This is probably because the two-layer structure of the display cell and the background display cell as in the reference example is eliminated.

  In the above description, each subframe is divided into equal times. Further, the number M of subframes is not limited to three. In particular, in the case of a driving method in which a color break countermeasure is taken, the number M of subframes is 2 or more, preferably 2 to 4.

  The components in one subframe period S are the previous subframe backlight lighting duration D, the blank time B, and the backlight lighting time L. S = D + B + L holds during these times, but S = D + B may also be used.

  On the other hand, if the number of scanning lines of the liquid crystal display element is N (1 / ND duty driving) and the driving frequency of the liquid crystal display element is f, the scanning line scanning waiting time C is C = (N−1) / (f × 2N). . D + B is preferably set to C + (response time during light to dark display of the liquid crystal display element) or more.

The relationship between these numerical values will be generalized and expressed by mathematical formulas. When the frame time F, the number of subframes M, the subframe time Sm (m = 1 to M), the previous subframe backlight lighting duration time Dm, the scanning waiting time W, the blank time Bm, and the backlight lighting time are Lm,

1) F = SUM (Sm) (m = 1 to M) -Formula (1)

Thus, F = S × M, where each subframe is equally timed.

2) When W ≦ Dm: Sm = Dm + Bm + Lm −Formula (2)
When Dm ≦ W: Sm = Dm + (W−Dm) + Bm + Lm—Formula (3)
(Equation 2 and 3 may be Lm = 0 if Dm ≠ 0)

3) Light to dark display response time must be Sm-W or less

If the above conditions 1) to 3) are satisfied, it is considered that an FS-driven liquid crystal display device exhibiting good color purity regardless of the response speed of the liquid crystal display element can be configured.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, 1/2 duty to 1/16 duty of multiplex drive, preferably 1/2 duty to 1/9 duty can be implemented (in terms of display quality). Furthermore, when the divided regions as shown in FIG. 14 are driven by independent wiring, multiplex driving of 1/2 duty to 1/8 duty, preferably 1/2 duty to 1/4 duty can be applied.

  The multiplex drive frequency is effectively 150 Hz to 1 kHz.

  FIG. 29 shows another display pattern example of the liquid crystal display element. Consider the case where the number “24” is displayed in red using 8 segments of two digits as shown in the figure, the character “TEMP” is displayed in cyan, and the background is displayed in white. In that case, the same voltage waveform as that of the background may be applied to the segment electrode of the 8 segments to be displayed off.

  FIG. 30 is a plan view showing another example of the display pattern. In the above description, only the segment display is shown as the display pattern of the liquid crystal display element, but the embodiment can be applied even in the case of the segment display + dot matrix display pattern as shown in FIG.

  It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other various modifications, improvements, combinations, and the like can be made.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display element according to a reference example. FIG. 3 is an example of a display pattern of the liquid crystal display element. FIG. 4 is a segment electrode pattern of a reference example that realizes the display pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a common electrode pattern of a reference example that realizes the display pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a segment electrode pattern of the first embodiment that realizes the display pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a common electrode pattern of the first embodiment that realizes the display pattern shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the background common electrode is divided into two background common electrodes C3a and C3b. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a region A shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of region B shown in FIG. FIG. 12 shows the overlapping of the segment electrode and the common electrode in the entire effective display area 124. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the openings of the liquid crystal display element of the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a plan view showing another arrangement example of the openings. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing another arrangement example of the openings. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the segment opening OPs, the common opening OPc, and the black mask BM. FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view of an NWTN mode liquid crystal display element. FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view of a vertical alignment mode (VA) liquid crystal display element. FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view of a two-layer TN mode liquid crystal display element. FIG. 23 is a table of response times in the respective liquid crystal display elements. FIG. 24 is a table of times (referred to as 0% -10% time) for the transmittance of each liquid crystal display element to change from 0% to 10%. FIG. 25 is a waveform diagram showing driving waveforms applied to the commons 1 to 3, segments 1 and 2, and the background electrode in one frame, and emission colors and lighting timings of the backlight areas A and B. FIG. 26 shows scanning line selection voltage waveforms applied to the three common electrodes of the liquid crystal display element, segment waveforms applied to the segment electrodes 1 and 2 and the background portion, the lighting timing and lighting color of the multi-color backlight. FIG. FIG. 27 is a waveform diagram of drive waveforms. FIG. 28 is a waveform diagram of a multiplex drive waveform in which measures against so-called color breaks are taken. FIG. 29 is a plan view showing another display example of the liquid crystal display element. FIG. 30 is a plan view showing another example of the display pattern.

Explanation of symbols

1, 11, 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 221, 222, 261, 262, 291, 292 Polarizing plate 2, 10, 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d, 271, 272 Viewing angle compensator 3, 9, 31a, 31b , 41a, 41b, 212, 213 Substrate 4, 8, 33a, 33b, 43a, 43b, 231 Transparent electrodes 5, 7, 34a, 34b, 44a, 44b, 232 Alignment films 6, 32, 42, 214 Liquid crystal layer 12, 35, 45 Spacer 13, 36, 46 Sealing material 14, 37, 47 Conductive material 16, 30, 40, 211, 251, 281, 282 Liquid crystal cell 17, 18 Black mask 19, 19a, 19b Insulating film 100 Backlight 101 Liquid crystal Control device for display element 102

Claims (13)

A liquid crystal cell and an upper and lower polarizing plate sandwiching the liquid crystal cell, wherein the liquid crystal cell includes a display segment electrode including a plurality of electrodes and one or a plurality of electrodes disposed outside the display segment electrode within a display surface. A background segment electrode including a plurality of electrodes, a segment substrate on which the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode are formed, a display common electrode including a plurality of electrodes, and an outer side of the display common electrode within the display surface A background common electrode including one or a plurality of electrodes, a common substrate on which the display common electrode and the background segment electrode are formed, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the segment substrate and the common substrate. A display pattern is defined by an overlapping portion of the display segment electrode and the display common electrode, the outside of the display pattern defines a background, and is driven in a multiplex manner. And a liquid crystal display element that,
A backlight having a multicolor light source for making light incident on the liquid crystal display element;
A controller for multiplex driving the liquid crystal display element,
The control device applies an on-voltage or an off-voltage to each of the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode while sequentially scanning the display common electrode and the background common electrode, so that the liquid crystal display element is When the display common electrode is selected, an off drive signal is applied to the background segment electrode to turn off the region including the display common electrode in the background. Among these, the background including the background common electrode is turned off by applying an OFF drive signal to the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode when the background common electrode is selected. The display common electrode is controlled or an area including the display common electrode in the background is controlled. Is selected by applying an ON drive signal to the background segment electrode, and when the background common electrode is selected, the region including the background common electrode in the background is selected. By applying an ON drive signal to the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode to turn it ON, the entire background is controlled to be turned ON and one frame of the drive voltage is divided into a plurality of subframes. And a field sequential driving liquid crystal display device that emits different colors for each subframe from the backlight.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the background common electrodes is one.   2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of background common electrodes are provided, and multiplex drive scanning is performed such that all of the plurality of background common electrodes are simultaneously selected.   The display segment electrode and the background segment electrode are formed on the common first surface with a gap therebetween, and the display common electrode and the background common electrode are spaced on the common second surface. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device is formed with a gap therebetween.   5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode and a distance between the display common electrode and the background common electrode are in a range of 10 μm to 50 μm.   5. A light shielding film is formed so as to cover at least a part of a gap between the display segment electrode and a background segment electrode and a gap between the display common electrode and a background common electrode within the display surface. Or 5. The liquid crystal display device according to 5.   A plurality of openings are formed in at least one of the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode, and openings are also formed in the display common electrode or the background common electrode at positions facing each of the plurality of openings. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein a light shielding film covering the opening is formed.   The display segment electrode and the background segment electrode are formed in different layers, and there is a region without a gap between the display segment electrode and the background segment electrode in the display surface, or The display common electrode and the background common electrode are formed in different layers, and there is a region without a gap between the display common electrode and the background common electrode in the display surface. The liquid crystal display device according to any one of the above.   10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the control device continuously lights the backlight lit in the current subframe in the same color for a certain period of time after switching the next subframe.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display element is a normally white twisted nematic (TN) type.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display element is in a normally black mode and is of a vertical alignment type or a two-layer TN type.   The control device divides one frame of driving voltage into a plurality of subframes, and performs color breakless field sequential (FS) driving in which bright display is performed in only one subframe per frame for one display color. Item 13. The liquid crystal display device according to any one of items 1 to 12.

Images